niaspan vs statin

I have already had one bad experience with another statin, Advicor, that resulted in me having permanent lymphedema in my ankles and legs. Now I am unsure about Niaspan. I would appreciate any comments on Niaspan please. Thanks.

I assume you have a cholesterol issue. Why not ask your doctor for a prescription for a statin medicine? You can get the drug for $4.00 a month or less, and it's much less invasive than Niaspan, in my opinion. I tried Niaspan years ago, it wasn't effective, and I would get a huge 'blushing' feeling, my face would flush and I would be miserable. Statin drugs are very safe and in my opinion, very effective.

But this does not mean I must be afraid of either Niaspan or the other statin he wants to give me later. I realize this now and you helped to drive that point home. He is a well known cardiologist with 38 years experience. It has become increasingly clear to me now that my condition is very bad and as you astutely pointed out-as did he-My HDL being at the low number it has been at for quite some time now is a big risk.

They are finding that they have been oversold and that something like 50 people have to take the maximum dose chronically to prevent one cardiac event. There is a study coming out in 2010 comparing taking Niaspan alone, a statin alone, or a combination of the two. I could not tolerate statins because they gave me an arrhythmia, but if you can I would do the 40mg of Crestor daily. In studies it has been shown to stop or slightly reverse plaque. There are lots of people who can tolerate it.

Lipitor can increase HDL by approx 15% which would help. I would think twice about Niaspan as the most recent data suggests that the HDL that is artificially created by Niacin is not as effective against LDL as naturally occurring HDL. If you're healthy, you can increase HDL with exercise, just speak to your doctor first. Lipitor is a very safe and effective drug. In addition to the cholesterol lower properties, statins are also being proven to lower inflammation which is huge.

In an effort to increase my HDL, I take Niaspan & Zocor.....Recently my MD upped the Zocor from 5mgl. to 10mgl.... Last couple weeks, have had more trouble sleeping, usually waking up after a dream (not nightmares, but somewhat vivid dreams)...I've checked out few sites, & saw that statins can cause sleep problems....Have others here had sleep problems while taking a statin?........

I know that you're questioning Niaspan vs. liver. I wanted to also share with you a side effect of Niaspan is gout. If you never had it before, and start to more than likely it's the Niaspan that caused it. My husband was on Niaspan for a a couple of yrs. well, for the last yr. before discontinuing it, he kept getting flare-ups of gout. He started to get it more often than not.

... but in Mayo Clinic website .. they warn from statin side effects against liver .. Statin side effects: Weigh the benefits and risks Liver damage Occasionally, statin use could cause your liver to increase its production of enzymes that help you digest food, drinks and medications. If the increase is only mild, you can continue to take the drug. Rarely, if the increase is severe, you may need to stop taking the drug. Your doctor might suggest a different statin.

He was also on Niaspan and only gets the flushing. But he had to go down to every other day on Niaspan. So, you may have to do something like that. If you are on a very high dose of Niaspan then less common side effects can be fever, diarrhea, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, headache and rash. But my husband is on 500mg with no problem. I don't know what they consider a high dose. The Niaspan is only really for lowering your Triglycerides not the cholesterol.

I take Niaspan which is an extended release form of niacin. Niaspan will decrease your LDL and triglycerides and increase your HDL. I would not change your niacin dose w/o talking to your doctor about it. Decreasing the dosage could decrease your HDL. I was taking 1500 mg of Niaspan at one point for about 7 months My HDL was around 42-44 for 3 measurements. It then drop to 32. My cardiologist immediately bumped my Nispan dosage to 2000 mg and my HDL went to 50 a year later.

Well, when you worry your blood pressure will go up. It feeds on itself. There's a new study out that showed Niacin can reverse stenosis (blockages). The intake was rather high but it's now clinically proven. A statin, like liptor or zocor can also reverse stenosis. If I were you I'd be thinking about all the ways the blockages can be reversed and attack it from all fronts. Medication, niacin, diet, exercise, lose weight if you have to.

Due to a recently elevated (since menopause) LDL of 164, my PCP strongly recommended a low dose statin. (My total cholesterol is newly high as well at 278.) Diet and exercise have not been effective to reduce it and it clearly runs in my family---both parents and three of my four siblings are taking statins. (The one who's not is vegan, suggesting that diet can effect cholesterol.) I am a 54 y.o.

I have been taking 2000mg Niaspan daily for the last 18months, helping to raise it from 25 to 30. I run about 9miles a week, work out 3-4X at the gym each week, and drink a glass of red wine every night. I eat nuts every day, take Omega3, and rarely eat red meat - subscribing to a low cholesterol diet. Weight is 185 at 6'3", age 50. LDL is always pretty low - most recently 66.

Soluble fiber (Metamucil, fruits, etc.). Soy nuts. Fish Oil. Oatmeal. Niaspan. Cholesterol Off (plant stanol supplement). And I had some really good success. I got the LDL down to 111 and total to 175 about a year ago. But now it has crept back up, despite me doing even more than what I had been doing. My recent test my LDL was 156, total 223, HDL 53, LDL-P (particle size) 1605, Triglycerides 70. I am doing just about all I can possibly do from a "natural" standpoint.

I think they have concluded that neither do Zetia, except when used with a statin, so it is the statin doing the work. I also think Welchol has been shown to not reduce cardiac events too. not sure. I am on Repatha. Third bi weekly shot. have about 1/3 of the severity of symptoms that I had on statins. headache, muscle aches. may put up with it and may not. just keepin on keepin on for now. Will see if this gets better, worse or stays the same.

He needs to get agressive cholesterol therapy with multiple drugs. Definitely a front line statin like Lipitor. Also to raise the HDL, high dose Niacin. Niaspan is a great drug for that and, unfortunatey, nothing better has made it to market. Then he needs to start walking everyday as much as he can. Lean into the pain, but not too much. He also needs to start eating a lot of green stuff and not so much meat.

I seen many studies quoted that show how many people admitted with acute coronary events had what was considered normal levels of serum cholesterol and others that take the position that the real issue is inflammation of the arteries as the cause of CAD, not to mention the discussion concerning the use of statins. I have also read many of the pro-statin studies as well and still feel that there is more validity to the thought process that says lower cholesterol helps prevent CAD.

(forum) suggested using, in addition to Fish oil for tri-glycerides, niacin. And he said statin users should take CO-enzyme Q 300 mg. But I do not know if these are general recomendations based on research or if they fit my own profile, which is Triglycerides 89 (lowest they have been) HDL 51 (has fluctuated between 50 and 68)) LDL 86 (lowest yet) CK protein 290 (where normal is 40-180).---> I HAVE NO MUSCLE PAIN ALT 29.

I have searched the literature and have not found any articles linking Niaspan with any form of cancer. Niaspan is just niacin, one of the B vitamins, and as far as I can tell, is not cancerous in the dose given in Niaspan. As for your other question whether a five year study can demonstrate a drug-cancer connection, it would depend partly on the study design. The strength of the association between cause (the drug) and effect (cancer) would depend on how the evidence is gathered.

I have high LDL chololesterol and was told I have to take a statin drug. One doctor gave me a RX for Lipitor 20 mg SID. Another doctor gave me a RX for Lovastatin 20 mg SID. The Lipitor will cost me $130/mo., the Lovastatin will cost $5/mo. Aside from the obvious cost difference, which RX is better? The bottom line is that I really do not want to take a statin at all BUT if I have to take one, I want to take what will work the best at lowering my LDL levels.

I wish you luck with 20mg my friend and really hope you dont suffer any liver damage. Crestor is the most powerful statin to date, much stronger than Lipitor which is very strong. The starting dosage recommended for severe artery disease with crestor is 10mg, which lowers c-ldl by a whopping 46-52%. This is a lot, and most people don't need this much of a reduction, certainly that much of the powerful drug. You can get 5mg, but this is the lowest. It has been shown that 2.

Niaspan vs statin

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